Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

कृतवत्यौ ततो होमं सुसमिद्धे हुताशने । अग्निकुण्डात्ततस्तस्माश्चतुर्हस्ता शुभानना

Transliteration

kṛtavatyau tato homaṃ susamiddhe hutāśane | agnikuṇḍāttatastasmāścaturhastā śubhānanā

Translation

Alors elles accomplirent le homa dans le feu bien attisé. De ce même foyer surgit une Déesse aux quatre bras, au visage de bon augure.

Word by Word

• kṛtavatyau: the two (women) having performed
• kṛtavatyau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛtavatī (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा द्विवचन; क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (perfect participle used predicatively): 'having done' (refers to two women)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तर-वाचक (then)

• homam: fire-offering; homa
• homam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: homa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन

• su-samiddhe: well-kindled
• su-samiddhe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + samiddha (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त); विशेषण (qualifying hutāśane)

• hutāśane: in the fire (the eater of offerings)
• hutāśane: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hutāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन

• agni-kuṇḍāt: from the fire-pit
• agni-kuṇḍāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + kuṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (अपादान) एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (agnaye kuṇḍam)

• tataḥ: thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; 'thereupon/from there'

• tasmāt: from that
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक tad)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (ablatival form used adverbially): 'from that (place)'

• catur-hastā: four-handed
• catur-hastā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (one who has four hands)

• śubha-ānanā: having an auspicious face
• śubha-ānanā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक) + ānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्मधारय (śubham ānanam yasyāḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in māhātmya style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blazing, well-fed sacrificial fire in a square/round kuṇḍa; from the flames rises an auspicious four-armed goddess, serene yet powerful, framed by sparks and smoke like a divine aureole; priests/ascetics gaze in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Agni-kuṇḍa
• Devī (four-armed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Properly performed sacrifice (homa) at a sanctified place is shown to invite divine presence and protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative centers on a sacred kuṇḍa where ritual fire becomes the gateway for divine manifestation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A homa offered into a well-kindled fire (su-samiddha hutāśana).